I'll be participating in a group reading (and, I assume, booksigning) in Hollywood on 9/17. I realize that getting to Hollywood on a Monday night isn't the easiest thing, and also that lesbian erotica may not be your cup of tea! But if you CAN make it, it would mean a lot to me. While I don't have a particular problem speaking in public, I've never done a reading of my own work before, and yeah, that makes me a little nervous... =8-0
Here's the info:
Monday, September 17
7:30 p.m.
A Different Light
8853 Santa Monica Blvd.
West Hollywood CA 90069
310-854-6601
Feel free to cross-post/forward as you see fit. No need to respond (unless you want to let me know you're coming and will be bringing a paper bag in case I hypeventilate... ;-) ). Hope you see some of you there!
Saturday, September 08, 2007
Contest deadline extended!
If you're anything like me, you've spent the last week staggering around wondering how it got to be the beginning of September already.
So I've decided to extend the contest deadline for How Many Styx and SRP References Can You Find in A Little Night Music to Sunday at midnight. Rules are at my website. I know some of you are already working on it (I've received several entries already!), and I hope you're having fun with it!
So I've decided to extend the contest deadline for How Many Styx and SRP References Can You Find in A Little Night Music to Sunday at midnight. Rules are at my website. I know some of you are already working on it (I've received several entries already!), and I hope you're having fun with it!
Friday, September 07, 2007
You are getting sleeeeeepy...
Had a great chiro appt this morning, and my massage therapist should be arriving in less than an hour. However, that vague pain and minor swollen feeling in the back of my throat better the hell not be a sore throat, or heads will roll. [scowls] I don’t have time to be sick!Busy day. I got four stories back in the mail:
- ”Dreamseer” to Black Gate
- ”Queen of Hearts, Hand of Fate” to Clarkesworld
- ”Testing the Waters” to Cemetery Dance
- ”Proof of Devotion” (which will appear in Fabulous Whitby very soon!) to Best New Paranormal Romance 3.
I also confirmed with two editors that it’s okay to simultaneously submit a story that editor #2 requested after I’d already sent it to editor #1. Editor #1 says it’ll be in one of two anthos; editor #2 says it’s a strong possibility for hers.
I didn’t get my 2K done last night (it was just shy of 1400 words when I called it quits), but I haven’t glued my butt to the writing chair yet. Gack!
<>-<>-<>
Update: Apparently I am coming down with a cold, if this sore throat and general muzziness is to be heeded. Crap. Here I wanted to push and hit 5K each day this weekend, and now I might be sidelined. I got only my minimum 500 words done tonight, and now I’m heading to the bedroom to fall over.
So that’s it. If anyone tells you the life of a writer is glamorous, they’re lying through their teeth.
Either that, or I’m doing something wrong…
---
Currently Reading: Trixie Belden and The Mystery at Bob-White Cave, Kathryn Kenny
Lately Listened To: the purring of cats happy that I’m home
Recently Watched: Eureka, CSI: NY
Thursday, September 06, 2007
Sorting the mail
Apparently the end of August is “clean out your slush pile” time, because I’ve received a flurry of rejections over the past few days (sigh):- Multiple rejections from Best Lesbian Erotica 2008 because I’d sent a number of my own stories as well as Sophie stories. Oh well!
- Rejection from Clockwork Phoenix for “Berengere.”
- Rejection from Weird Tales for “Queen of Hearts, Hand of Fate”
- Dark Regions passed on “Testing the Waters,” but asked if I had some shorter works (alas, I don’t have much in the way of dark fantasy or horror…).
- IGMS may have rejected “Soulsearching,” the submission currently with them, but the e-mail says “Seeds of Hope,” which they rejected back in July. I’m following up.
- Black Gate apologized for taking so long to pass on “Berengere,” citing a possible glitch.
- Yellow form of promise from Realms of Fantasy for “Dreamseer.”
- A pass on an anthology story, but the editor wants to know if another story (that she accepted for an anthology that never got published) is still available. It’s with another editor now, but I’m going to see if the two editors are cool with one version being a reprint.
Despite no acceptances, there were some exciting things in the mail:
- Payment for “The Witch of Venice,” to appear in Screaming Orgasms and Sex on the Beach, plus a note from the editor saying that my story rocks. :-)
- Payment for my half of “Stranger to my Shores,” which appeared in Love on the Dark Side.
- Comp copies ofCrossdressing: Erotic Stories, containing “I Need a Man” (inspired in part by the Eurythmics song and Annie Lennox)
- Comp copies of Best Lesbian Bondage Erotica, containing a reprint of one of my favorite stories, “Frozen.”
And this one has to be a separate paragraph, not part of the list, because it’s so cool! I received a comp copies of the German edition of Cat Scratch Fever! That’s the picture above. The German title translates to Sharp Claws, which I think is amusingly appropriate.
German edition! Squee bouncity!
Homing
Welcome to DFW, where I was a mere month and a half ago leaving RWA Nationals. Possibly the same exact gate. Weird. I’m early, since Ken has to get a new rear tire on the bike before he continues on (and his trip includes a detour to Louisiana for a back rest for the bike; the only shop that does it hasn’t been able to get their hands on a 2007 model of his bike, so he’s their guinea pig in exchange for a discount).
There are no plugs in this airport, but there is a charging station where I can plug my laptop in for $6.95/hour. I think not. They don’t have free wireless here, either. Poopyheads.
So unless/until I run out of power, my goal is to get a few thousand words done on High Spirits today, before I get home tonight.
On Sunday we swung into Little Rock to see Little Rock Central High School, where the famous desegregation of schools occurred, before heading down to Hot Springs. We spent a few days with Ken’s grandmother, and his aunt came by for most of that time as well. On our way out, we stopped by the museum dedicated to the heyday of the hot spring spas and baths; next time, we swear we’re going to have a soak in the last remaining historic bath. There are some utterly gorgeous Victorian and Craftsman homes in the area, too… Then we wandered through Texas to Ken’s brother’s house, where I fell all over myself because of Dennis’ three kittens.
It’s been a good, full, fun vacation, but it’s going to be good to be home, too.
There. Over 2K, which is more than I’ve written in one sitting in longer than I care to think about. Now all I have to do is keep that momentum up (kicking it up a few notches) for the rest of the month….
So, on a recent flight home (maybe from Oregon in May? Not sure.), the flight attendant on the Oxnard flight told me about a recent night flight where the plane couldn't land and had to go back to LAX and everyone had to be shuttled to Oxnard.
You know where this is going. Except for the shuttle part. Oh noooo, they wouldn't do that for us. It was either pay for a hotel at our own expense and take a morning flight, or we were on our own. Well, I looked at my fellow passengers (with whom I'd been chatting on the plane) and said "Who's going in with me on a rental car?" Three other passengers signed up, and one guy used his Hertz platinum card, and we all chipped in, and I was home just before midnight.
But after the Virginia kerfluffle, this is clearly a sign that I should refrain from flying for a while…
---
Currently Reading: Silk, Caitlín R. Kiernan
Lately Listened To: just about every Styx album in existence
Recently Watched: CNN’s on a screen in front of me, but I’m mostly ignoring it
There are no plugs in this airport, but there is a charging station where I can plug my laptop in for $6.95/hour. I think not. They don’t have free wireless here, either. Poopyheads.
So unless/until I run out of power, my goal is to get a few thousand words done on High Spirits today, before I get home tonight.
On Sunday we swung into Little Rock to see Little Rock Central High School, where the famous desegregation of schools occurred, before heading down to Hot Springs. We spent a few days with Ken’s grandmother, and his aunt came by for most of that time as well. On our way out, we stopped by the museum dedicated to the heyday of the hot spring spas and baths; next time, we swear we’re going to have a soak in the last remaining historic bath. There are some utterly gorgeous Victorian and Craftsman homes in the area, too… Then we wandered through Texas to Ken’s brother’s house, where I fell all over myself because of Dennis’ three kittens.
It’s been a good, full, fun vacation, but it’s going to be good to be home, too.
<>-<>-<>
There. Over 2K, which is more than I’ve written in one sitting in longer than I care to think about. Now all I have to do is keep that momentum up (kicking it up a few notches) for the rest of the month….
| |
14,000 / 70,000 (20.0%) |
<>-<>-<>
So, on a recent flight home (maybe from Oregon in May? Not sure.), the flight attendant on the Oxnard flight told me about a recent night flight where the plane couldn't land and had to go back to LAX and everyone had to be shuttled to Oxnard.
You know where this is going. Except for the shuttle part. Oh noooo, they wouldn't do that for us. It was either pay for a hotel at our own expense and take a morning flight, or we were on our own. Well, I looked at my fellow passengers (with whom I'd been chatting on the plane) and said "Who's going in with me on a rental car?" Three other passengers signed up, and one guy used his Hertz platinum card, and we all chipped in, and I was home just before midnight.
But after the Virginia kerfluffle, this is clearly a sign that I should refrain from flying for a while…
---
Currently Reading: Silk, Caitlín R. Kiernan
Lately Listened To: just about every Styx album in existence
Recently Watched: CNN’s on a screen in front of me, but I’m mostly ignoring it
Cross-eyed
What month is it already?! [staggers about like a drunken monkey]
Let’s see. When we last left our intrepid travelers, they were drinking and being geeky. That was Wednesday night. Thursday morning, Ken and I reluctantly hauled ourselves out of bed and took a self-defense class, which was fantastic. I can take you down now, suckers, so watch out. (And it’s a reasonably non-physical form of defense, in that my back will not get tweaked. The instructor has taught it to a woman in a wheelchair. So there. You have been warned.)
The instructor doesn’t allow married couples to pair up during the practices (after a couple had to be separated due to a sudden desire to work out some, ah, differences), so I paired up with a friend I’d met at CCR two years ago. We kept cracking up because we are such girls. Me: “Okay, come at me.” Her: “Ow, ow!” Me: “Omigod I’m sorry!” Her: “No, no, you did really good!”
We had a lazy afternoon. We wandered the vendors and I picked up two more moisture-wicking shirts for riding. After I went back to the room to work for a bit, Ken found the bike wash, which is traditionally done by HS students as a fund-raiser. This year it was a chorus that’s one of eight in the U.S. chosen to perform at Carnegie Hall. So what does Ken do? Ask them if they know any Styx. Apparently they do sing “Show Me the Way.” So he wants to send them a copy of the CYO DVD. I love my husband. :-)
There was a banquet that night, and the silent auction, and I won a cooling vest (you soak it with water for hot, dry rides and it keeps you cool. I have a neck wrap of the same type, and it’s awesome.), and then we hung out at the Booze Brothers party. Since the theme of the banquet was the Blues Brothers (because of the soul/funk band that played after dinner), many of us had scarfed the hats and were walking around wearing sunglasses. Amusing pictures will be shared upon our return home.
Friday we headed back to St. Louis for the IBR banquet, and then I hung out in the room while Ken kicked metaphorical tires with rally guys, and we had a quiet evening. It was weird not being at the CCR rally, but Ernie called Ken as soon as the announcement was made about next year’s venue: Zermatt, Utah. Coolness! The area is gorgeous for riding, and a lot closer to home. The resort itself looks like it belongs in Switzerland, and we’ll have the whole thing to ourselves.
After I had another awesome Chesterfield Skillet for breakfast, we headed out on the road again. First stop was the World Bird Sanctuary (quite near the wild canid center, in fact). They had the most adorable little owl that I wanted to scoop up and take home with me. He was just so tiny and talkative. Thank goodness he was locked in a cage or he’d be tucked in my jacket right now. They also had a little kestrel, which are so cute because they want to be like the big birds, but they’re just not. He was all puffed up trying to look important, but he just wasn’t big enough… And there was an eagle and a spectacled owl and a couple of red-tailed hawks and… There were a ton of birds, and yet they said a lot were out at a Renaissance Faire! I bought a little stuffed peregrine falcon that makes an authentic cry. It’s part of a series, and I want to collect all of the birds of prey; I already have the red-tailed hawk.
They also had some animal displays in the gift shop—a variety of snakes and lizards, and a pair of opossums. I had no idea opossums were so big…or so cute! The handler who was cleaning their enclosure let them wander, and one toddled out to explore the nearby area. He was cross-eyed! Utterly adorable.
We headed south after that, avoiding freeways and taking the more scenic highways through Missouri and into Arkansas. We stopped in a small town for dinner, choosing a local BBQ joint over the sad plethora of fast food chains (they well outnumbered the local choices that we could find, sad to say). We’re spending the night just outside of Little Rock, and tomorrow we’ll get to Ken’s grandmother’s in Hot Springs.
After much debate, I’ve come to the difficult decision of not going to the Book-in-a-Week and Novel Workshop in Oregon in October. It’s a matter of time, money, travel, etc.; the stars just don’t seem to be aligning. That said, I’m still making it a goal to finish the novel I’m working on (working title: High Spirits) by the end of September to get my trophy, which I’ll do as long as I send out some query letters.
The final quarter of the year will involve a new novel with Sarah (based on the 40K or so contemporary erotic romance I started last year), a revision High Spirits, and a long-overdue revision of An Ever-Turning Wheel with the goal of getting that one in the mail by the end of the year. That’ll make four novels in the mail this year, which ain’t too shabby…
Let’s see. When we last left our intrepid travelers, they were drinking and being geeky. That was Wednesday night. Thursday morning, Ken and I reluctantly hauled ourselves out of bed and took a self-defense class, which was fantastic. I can take you down now, suckers, so watch out. (And it’s a reasonably non-physical form of defense, in that my back will not get tweaked. The instructor has taught it to a woman in a wheelchair. So there. You have been warned.)
The instructor doesn’t allow married couples to pair up during the practices (after a couple had to be separated due to a sudden desire to work out some, ah, differences), so I paired up with a friend I’d met at CCR two years ago. We kept cracking up because we are such girls. Me: “Okay, come at me.” Her: “Ow, ow!” Me: “Omigod I’m sorry!” Her: “No, no, you did really good!”
We had a lazy afternoon. We wandered the vendors and I picked up two more moisture-wicking shirts for riding. After I went back to the room to work for a bit, Ken found the bike wash, which is traditionally done by HS students as a fund-raiser. This year it was a chorus that’s one of eight in the U.S. chosen to perform at Carnegie Hall. So what does Ken do? Ask them if they know any Styx. Apparently they do sing “Show Me the Way.” So he wants to send them a copy of the CYO DVD. I love my husband. :-)
There was a banquet that night, and the silent auction, and I won a cooling vest (you soak it with water for hot, dry rides and it keeps you cool. I have a neck wrap of the same type, and it’s awesome.), and then we hung out at the Booze Brothers party. Since the theme of the banquet was the Blues Brothers (because of the soul/funk band that played after dinner), many of us had scarfed the hats and were walking around wearing sunglasses. Amusing pictures will be shared upon our return home.
Friday we headed back to St. Louis for the IBR banquet, and then I hung out in the room while Ken kicked metaphorical tires with rally guys, and we had a quiet evening. It was weird not being at the CCR rally, but Ernie called Ken as soon as the announcement was made about next year’s venue: Zermatt, Utah. Coolness! The area is gorgeous for riding, and a lot closer to home. The resort itself looks like it belongs in Switzerland, and we’ll have the whole thing to ourselves.
After I had another awesome Chesterfield Skillet for breakfast, we headed out on the road again. First stop was the World Bird Sanctuary (quite near the wild canid center, in fact). They had the most adorable little owl that I wanted to scoop up and take home with me. He was just so tiny and talkative. Thank goodness he was locked in a cage or he’d be tucked in my jacket right now. They also had a little kestrel, which are so cute because they want to be like the big birds, but they’re just not. He was all puffed up trying to look important, but he just wasn’t big enough… And there was an eagle and a spectacled owl and a couple of red-tailed hawks and… There were a ton of birds, and yet they said a lot were out at a Renaissance Faire! I bought a little stuffed peregrine falcon that makes an authentic cry. It’s part of a series, and I want to collect all of the birds of prey; I already have the red-tailed hawk.
They also had some animal displays in the gift shop—a variety of snakes and lizards, and a pair of opossums. I had no idea opossums were so big…or so cute! The handler who was cleaning their enclosure let them wander, and one toddled out to explore the nearby area. He was cross-eyed! Utterly adorable.
We headed south after that, avoiding freeways and taking the more scenic highways through Missouri and into Arkansas. We stopped in a small town for dinner, choosing a local BBQ joint over the sad plethora of fast food chains (they well outnumbered the local choices that we could find, sad to say). We’re spending the night just outside of Little Rock, and tomorrow we’ll get to Ken’s grandmother’s in Hot Springs.
<>-<>-<>
After much debate, I’ve come to the difficult decision of not going to the Book-in-a-Week and Novel Workshop in Oregon in October. It’s a matter of time, money, travel, etc.; the stars just don’t seem to be aligning. That said, I’m still making it a goal to finish the novel I’m working on (working title: High Spirits) by the end of September to get my trophy, which I’ll do as long as I send out some query letters.
The final quarter of the year will involve a new novel with Sarah (based on the 40K or so contemporary erotic romance I started last year), a revision High Spirits, and a long-overdue revision of An Ever-Turning Wheel with the goal of getting that one in the mail by the end of the year. That’ll make four novels in the mail this year, which ain’t too shabby…
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